STOCKHOLM, Sweden  In the wake of death threats against politicians and calls for a violent overthrow of government, German authorities are cracking down hard on Islamic extremism, most recently banning three Salafist groups seeking to impose Shariah law in Germany.

On March 13, the same day that the federal Interior Ministry unveiled the ban of the extremist organizations, police also announced that they had foiled an unrelated Islamist assassination plot against a right-wing political leader in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Four radical Salafists were arrested in connection with the attempted attack, which was allegedly aimed at murdering chief of the anti-Islamist PRO-NRW party Markus Beisicht.

According to authorities, two of the men were caught watching Beisicht. A gun and bomb-making materials were seized during the arrests, police said.

The intended victim

In an interview with WND, Beisicht said he was especially worried about his family, noting that his wife and two young daughters were home on the night of the assassination attempt.

Fear is a bad counselor, he noted. But I take the risk very seriously and have consulted with the police and am taking vital security measures that I dont want to mention in closer detail. Just this: From now on I will be guarded 24 hours a day, for exam........

what nobody seems to get is that it’s easy for Old World countries, which have a coherent, cohesive culture and a unique ethnic identity - and have had it for centuries - that is “Russian” or “Swedish” or “Japanese” etc. - to say “we are (fill in the blank) and these are our traditions.”

But since we are a nation of colonists/immigrants there is no such thing as an ethnic American. Anyone can be like my friend who is the son of a Welsh-Greek father and a Hungarian-Portuguese mother. There is no American language, there is no such thing as an American last name - it’s a last name from Europe or elsewhere - we have no unifying cultural force field. So we’re not in the same position to say “we define ourselves as (fill in the blank), anyone who dosn’t like it can get out” because we have no definition apat from a legal one on paper. And that can’t be compared to a way of making bread or a national wine or a dance step that everyoe knows. America really is a vacuum when it comes to having a national identity, and that’s what makes us so vulnerable.

I believe Paleo Conservative may be referring to the homeschooling ban.

Absolutely! I spoke to one of my congressman's political liason's about that issue a couple of weeks ago.

I think I'll also ask Senator Cruz next week about writing a law forbidding the US to deport any person to Germany for violating any German law enacted during the NAZI era. It was a serious oversight that we didn't require the postwar West German constitution abolish all laws enacted during the NAZI era. He's the speaker at my county's Lincoln Dinner next week, and I have a pass for the VIP reception with Senator Cruz.

18
posted on 03/24/2013 7:51:48 PM PDT
by Paleo Conservative
(Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not really out to get you.)

"what nobody seems to get is that its easy for Old World countries, which have a coherent, cohesive culture and a unique ethnic identity - and have had it for centuries - that is Russian or Swedish or Japanese etc. - to say we are (fill in the blank) and these are our traditions....America really is a vacuum when it comes to having a national identity, and thats what makes us so vulnerable."

Unlike those nations however, we have a Declaration of Independence which is both a mission statement and bold expression of purpose. It's been our failure to teach, reinforce and espouse that purpose. To the contrary, we've made it fashionable to challenge and undermine it.

a piece of paper with writing on it - even great writing - is not enough to create a sense of national identity that is passed on from grandparents to grandchildren: a piece of paper with writing on it cannot take the place of a jig or the polka;a piece of paper with writing on it is not a queen who fought to the death to save her country; a piece of paper with writing on it is not a phenotype, like red hair and freckles; a piece of paper with writing on it is not the flavor a fruit wine that is in every household;a piece of paper with writing on it is not the seeds in the crust of round bread; a piece of paper with writing on it is not a thousand year old melody that everyone knows; a piece of paper with writing on it is not a patron saint whose statue is in every town square; All of those things, and thousands more, are what make up a national identity, and none of them can be written on a piece of paper.

The Soviets invented the political correctness and it’s implementation via drilled messages via schools, government, media and all professionals. Argue and it’s off to camp or the mental institution for you.

"Any minority, from anywhere, if it wants to live in Russia, to work and eat in Russia, will speak Russian, and will respect the Russian laws. If they prefer Shari a Law, then we advise them to go to those places where thats the state law. "

I like it, and it's hell of a lot smarter than Obama.

24
posted on 03/25/2013 4:06:36 AM PDT
by wesagain
(The God #Elohim# of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the One True GOD.)

I don’t think that’s correct. We do have a culture - a culture of striving, of working hard, of succeeding. That’s not it totally, but we do have a common language - English - & anyone who doesn’t learn it will be at a disadvantage. We have a different sense of humor, we are noticeable as ‘different’ when we travel. Europeans love to mock us.

One story for you... I worked at a university & sometime in the ‘80s we had Maya Angelou come to speak. During the Q&A, a black student stood up & asked if Maya thought blacks should go live in Africa for a time to get in touch with their culture (black identity, whatever...) as Maya had done. She had a very interesting comment:

“The only thing you will discover if you go to Africa is that you are an American.”

From your response it seems to me that you didn’t understand what I wrote because you don’t know what culture is. It is so disconcerting to me to encounter this over and over on FR. Working hard is not a culture, it is an ethic and attitude shared by many countries, not a unique trait or object or continuing memory that defines a national identity.
The Europeans mock us for our lack of culture - the way you might look askance at someone who went out in public naked. That person stands out, not because his wardrobe us distinctive, but because he has no wardrobe.
Re Maya Angelou’s comment, she was saying you will discover you are not African, even though you look like them and have common ancestors - because you don’t share their culture. She was saying that they would discover that they were naked.

“the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture.”

We as Americans behave in a certain way. Part of that is our inclination to work hard, strive for success. We have a certain ‘energy’ that we project. And it is part of our culture.

“Re Maya Angelous comment, she was saying you will discover you are not African, even though you look like them and have common ancestors - because you dont share their culture.”

Precisely, because we Americans do in fact have a culture. I suppose it’s easier to define the cultures of others (French, English, etc.) since we see what’s so different about them from us. And certainly we are a melting pot of sorts with lots of influences from other cultures. But after a generation or maybe two, emigres do become American.

Germans very typically have the same kind of attitude toward home-schooling as Americans did in say, the 1960s & ‘70s. It’s considered something oddball and even threatening—given that Muslims are one of their biggest minorities. Turks and other Muslim peoples are about as common there as Hispanics are in the USA. The LAST thing the Germans want are lower class Muslim immigrants schooling their own kids in homemade terror-Madrasas...

It’s unfortunate that Christian families are getting persecuted for homeschooling—but there is a suspicion in Europe of ANY kind of persons who are very religious—as being religious is considered odd, fanatical... and even threatening. People have accepted the atheist lie that all religions lead to conflict, war and death—and that intelligent, educated people should hold to religion lightly or not at all.

My point is, out of fear that millions of immigrants will never integrate into free—and quite secular—German society, or some other fanatical people will secretely indoctrinate their kids (maybe as neo-Nazis), public opinion—and the government following it—opposes home-schooling.

Do I disagree? Yes, of course one should be able to educate your own kids...however, I do understand the German position—and that they are in a different situation than in the USA.

30
posted on 03/25/2013 3:37:09 PM PDT
by AnalogReigns
(because the real world is not digital...)

My shocking introduction to the fact that America has a culture, was spending a summer in Tokyo while in college.

The Japanese then (this was the ‘80s) mercilessly copied American culture, absolutely everywhere. Besides a McDonalds every quarter mile, there were Japanese copycat hamburger joints all over too, and photos of American women on store windows...(I’m told one cannot find an Asian baby-doll anywhere in the far-east’s toy stores...all are blue-eyed caucasions...), random English expressions on Tee-shirts, (called “Engrish”)(ex: “Let’s go beach, fun, fun!”).

At that time too, the USA was very much afraid of the industrial and financial might of Japan (they’d bought Rockefeller center in NYC, and everyone thought they’d rule us soon...then they had their banking crises, from which they still haven’t recovered), and yet...still everything in Japan seemed to want to be or look American.

I used to hang out at a coffee shop...that constantly played one day’s recording of an LA radio station....the same recording every day, to make Japanese feel like they were in America (wooo!) (You’d come in at 3 pm and hear the same LA freeway traffic report, day after day...)

I can recall talking with Japanese college students about my rifle at home too...and they were really SHOCKED that I had shot a (GASP!) gun. I think most had never seen a gun up close, let alone shot one. They just couldn’t imagine the freedom to own and shoot guns.

Only then did I realize we did have a very vital burgeoning culture, young yes, but very powerful none-the-less. The Europeans are greatly effected by it too (as is everyone in the developed world) they are just begrudging about it...and have their own high-culture which competes. (I’m sure thisis true in Japan too, but popular culture—almost to a default, around the world...is American).

I didn’t realize how people saw this, until talking to a conservative Christian German friend—who was telling me how so many Germans when they think of America, they only think of Hollywood, and our entertainment world, and all the corruptions found there...and therefore look down on America. This is in contrast to how many conservative Christian Americans look down on Germany and Europe (why they swim topless there!) even while the USA is the cesspool of the world in terms of popular entertainment...

So yes, America has a young, vital, hard-working...very non-traditional culture...which isn’t always good or wholesome—but is still a very powerful force all over the world.

32
posted on 03/25/2013 5:35:13 PM PDT
by AnalogReigns
(because the real world is not digital...)

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